Prescription medication · Dopamine Agonist (Diabetes)
bromocriptine
Also sold as Cycloset. This medicine can treat problems caused by too much prolactin, a hormone.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 637
- FDA reportsRarely reported
- 7
- InteractionsFew interactions
- 77% less
- Generic vs brandBig savings
- $5.29
- Brand price (NADAC)
What the data shows
bromocriptine (Cycloset) is a prescription Dopamine Agonist (Diabetes), among the least-reported drugs the FDA tracks (637 FDA reports), whose generic runs roughly half the brand price or less (77% less).
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
bromocriptine (Cycloset) is a prescription Dopamine Agonist (Diabetes). This medicine can treat problems caused by too much prolactin, a hormone.
Bromocriptine (Cycloset) is a medicine that acts like dopamine in your body. It is used to treat conditions caused by hormone imbalances, acromegaly, and Parkinson's disease.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$5.29/unit
Generic Price
$1.23/unit
Generic Savings
77%
Generic Available
Yes (4 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 25, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: BROMOCRIPTINE 2.5 MG TABLET
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (3 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: -15.2% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2024 | $1.42/EA | - | 2 |
| September 18, 2024 | $1.45/EA | +2.4% | 2 |
| December 18, 2024 | $1.23/EA | -15.2% | 4 |
What it does
This medicine can treat problems caused by too much prolactin, a hormone.
Common side effects
Nausea, Headache, Dizziness
Key warnings
This medicine may cause low blood pressure.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from bromocriptine's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Bromocriptine works by acting like dopamine, a natural substance in the brain. It helps to lower the amount of prolactin and growth hormone in your body. In Parkinson's disease, it helps improve motor control.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 637 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for bromocriptine, by number of reports
- Nausea
Nausea
46 reports
- Headache
Headache
35 reports
- Vomiting
Vomiting
33 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
31 reports
- Pyrexia
Pyrexia
29 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
28 reports
- Drug Exposure During Pregnancy
Drug Exposure During Pregnancy
25 reports
- Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
24 reports
- Tremor
Tremor
22 reports
- Somnolence
Somnolence
20 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for bromocriptine each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where bromocriptine sits
bromocriptine has more FDA adverse-event reports than 4% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is bromocriptine; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 637 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2003–2025.
Total Reports
637
Reports Mentioning Death
30
4.7% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
231
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAUSEA | 46 |
| 3 | HEADACHE | 35 |
| 4 | VOMITING | 33 |
| 5 | DIZZINESS | 31 |
| 6 | PYREXIA | 29 |
| 7 | FATIGUE | 28 |
| 8 | DRUG EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY | 25 |
| 9 | NEUROLEPTIC MALIGNANT SYNDROME | 24 |
| 10 | TREMOR | 22 |
| 11 | SOMNOLENCE | 20 |
| 12 | DIARRHOEA | 19 |
| 13 | DYSPNOEA | 19 |
| 14 | BLOOD CREATINE PHOSPHOKINASE INCREASED | 18 |
| 15 | HYPOTENSION | 18 |
| 16 | MALAISE | 18 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
This medicine may cause low blood pressure. Tell your doctor if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, are sensitive to ergot alkaloids, or are allergic to bromocriptine or any of the ingredients in the tablets. If you are taking this medicine for high prolactin and become pregnant, talk to your doctor about whether to continue taking it.
Known Drug Interactions
Other Drugs Metabolized by CYP3A: Alfentanil Bromocriptine Cilostazol Methylprednisolone Vinblastine Phenobarbital St. John’s Wort Use With Caution There have been spontaneous or published reports of CYP3A based interactions of clarithromycin with alfentanil, methylprednisolone, cilostazol, bromocriptine, vinblastine, phenobarbital, and St.
Mechanism: Clarithromycin slows down the liver enzyme that breaks down bromocriptine, which can cause the drug to build up in your system.
The concomitant use of macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin was shown to increase the plasma levels of bromocriptine (mean AUC and C max values increased 3.7-fold and 4.6-fold, respectively).
Mechanism: Erythromycin slows down how fast your body gets rid of bromocriptine. This causes the medicine to build up to higher levels in your blood.
Compounds in these categories result in a decreased efficacy of bromocriptine mesylate: phenothiazines, haloperidol, metoclopramide, and pimozide.
Mechanism: Pimozide works against bromocriptine in the body. This makes the bromocriptine less effective at treating your condition.
Compounds in these categories result in a decreased efficacy of bromocriptine mesylate: phenothiazines, haloperidol, metoclopramide, and pimozide.
Mechanism: Haloperidol blocks the effects of bromocriptine in the body. This prevents the medicine from working correctly.
Bromocriptine mesylate may interact with dopamine antagonists, butyrophenones, and certain other agents.
Mechanism: These drugs can interfere with each other because they both target the dopamine system in the brain. This can make the treatment less effective or cause unwanted effects.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I drink alcohol while taking bromocriptine?
What should I do if I experience nausea?
Can bromocriptine be used to treat infertility?
How long does it take for bromocriptine to work?
Can I stop taking bromocriptine suddenly?
Does bromocriptine interact with other medications?
What if I want to become pregnant while taking bromocriptine?
Can bromocriptine cause weight gain?
Is bromocriptine a cure for Parkinson's disease?
What should I do if I experience dizziness while taking bromocriptine?
What are the common side effects of bromocriptine?
Does bromocriptine interact with other medications?
What drug class is bromocriptine?
Is there a generic version of bromocriptine?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for bromocriptine?
Related Medications in Dopamine Agonist (Diabetes)
Other drugs grouped near bromocriptine - same-class peers and common alternatives.
acarbose
Precose
Acarbose is a medicine that helps lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Compare with bromocriptine →
alogliptin
Nesina
Compare with bromocriptine →
canagliflozin
Invokana
Invokana is a medicine used with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Compare with bromocriptine →
colesevelam
Welchol
Colesevelam is a medicine that helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL-C) and control blood sugar in adults.
Compare with bromocriptine →
dapagliflozin
Farxiga
Dapagliflozin (Farxiga) helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Compare with bromocriptine →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for bromocriptine: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 637.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 4.71%.
- timolol Δ 0.00 pts · 11,690 reports · Beta-Blocker (Ophthalmic) 4.70%death share
- teriparatide Δ 0.02 pts · 111,257 reports · Parathyroid Hormone Analog 4.73%death share
- mometasone Δ 0.03 pts · 17,186 reports · Inhaled Corticosteroid 4.74%death share
- fluocinonide Δ 0.04 pts · 5,460 reports · Topical Corticosteroid 4.67%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
Save on bromocriptine
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What the FDA Data Shows for bromocriptine
The FDA label for bromocriptine (sold under brand names such as Cycloset) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Dopamine Agonist (Diabetes) class. This medicine can treat problems caused by too much prolactin, a hormone. Official labeling lists 11 commonly reported side effects, including Nausea, Headache, Dizziness.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 637 voluntary reports. The database also lists 7 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $1.23 versus $5.29 for the brand - a 77% generic savings.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: May 31, 2023
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages